Apparatus for printing cloth



Oct. 4, 1938. J. H. WILLIAMS 2,131,991

APPARATUS FOR PRINTING CLOTH Filed Dec. 12, 1955 1N VENTOR.

BY CQQM.

jg I ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 4, 1938 UNIT-En STA-1 1s 2,131,99r i a APPARATUS F R oLo'rH" I John H'. Williams, Providence, n31. ApplicationDecember 12, 19st,".- SerialNo. 115,639 g *1 Claim. (0 1 01- 1 f This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for printing cloth and-the like.

The principal objects of theinvention are directed to the provision ,of an apparatus forand method of printingdesigns on'cloth and the like, the same being characterized by simplicity and efficiency.

It is common practice in the printing of cloth to lay a portion of a strip on a printing board which is usually padded like an ironing board and pin down the edges of the cloth to the board at close intervals in a more or less stretched condition. Then a printing screen which functions similarly to a stencil is placed on the cloth and coloring material is forced through the screen by a squeegee or paddle so that the design of the screen is made on the cloth. The screen is moved along the cloth pinned down so that additional designs are applied thereto. When the part of the strip which is pinned to the printing board has been printed, the strip is loosened and an unprinted portion is pinned to the printing board for printing.

It will be readily obvious that the abovedescribed process and the apparatus for performing the same not only requires and involves an endless amount of labor but production is limited, all to the end that the cost of printing is considerable.

According to this invention I provide carriers made up of links which carry plates provided with pins. The pins are for receiving the marginal or selvedge edges of a strip of cloth for the printing operation. As the adjacent inner runs of the carriers travel forwardly, the marginal edges of the strip of cloth are placed on the pins whereby the cloth is held in stretched relation and carried forwardly to be located for printing. When so located a printing frame or frames is placed upon the apparatus for the printing operation. It will be apparent from the following description that it is a comparatively simple matter to engage the edges of the cloth as distinguished from the method where they are pinned by hand to a pad or printing board wherefore the time consumed in the printing operation is greatly reduced.

Various novel objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter referred to in connection with the accompanying description of the preferred form thereof reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic small scale plan view of an apparatus embodying the novel features of the invention;

1 Fig. 2 is aplan 'view of one of the links 0 the apparatusof the invention; J

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional elevational View on the line 33 of Fig. 1; v V Fig. 4 is= a plan view to'explain certain features of; theinvention; and z Fig.5 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional elevational view through a plate of one of the links. Referring now to the drawing more in detail the invention will be fully described. 10

Endless carriers which are chain-like and in-' dicated by dot-dashlines 2 in Fig. 1 are formed from pivoted together links 4 or carrier members. These chains are supported on rails 8 and extend around and are driven by suitable sprock- 15 ets 6. The sprockets 6 may be any desired distance apart toaccommodate any length of chain and the rails may be various distances apart thereby to facilitate the printing operation on a portion of cloth of any desired length and width. k

The endless carriers formed by the links rest on and are guided bythe rails 8 in the wellknown manner. The links 4 are similar in construction and will now be described with refer- 25 ence to Figs. 2, 3 and 5. Each link has ears l0 and I2 on opposite ends provided with openings [4 to receive pinsv l6 and the ears of one link interfit with the ears of the adjacent link as in a tenter machine so as to provide continuous and endless chains which are flexible in that they may pass around the sprockets.

Each link has a downwardly depending part l8 at its forward side which rests on a ledge 20 and against the upstanding flange 22 of the rail 8. A tail part 24 of the link underlies a guide plate 26 associatedwith the rail 8. The parts are arranged so that the links are guided for movements along the rail.

A plate 28 is carried by each link and these have upwardly extending parts 30 provided with an inclined face 32, as shown in Fig. 5. These plates are secured to the links by means of screws 34 or the like and they carry a plurality of spaced pins 35.

The pins as will be seen extend upwardly from the rear inclined face of the plates 28 and are adapted to impinge or receive the edge 32' of a strip of cloth 4!], as shown in Fig. 5. The strip of cloth is represented in Fig. 2 by dash lines and in Fig. 5 in the conventional way.

Guides 42 for a printing screen or screens are associated with the rails and are adapted to support frame parts such as 44 of a printing frame. The printing frame has a woven screen 48.

printing screen so The screen is blocked out in some suitable manner or the openings therethrough are closed up except where left open in the form of a design as indicated by 50 in Fig. 4. As the chains formed by the links are moved so that the inner. runs of the chains travel forwardly a strip of cloth has its-marginal edges placed over the pins 36 which function to hold the cloth in suitably stretched condition. At least according to the arrangement of the parts or the amount which the clothis stretched, the said cloth is held in a taut stretched condition. It is carried forwardly by the inner runs of the chains.

When the length of cloth has been applied to the links a printing frame or frames is placed .upon the guides 42 so that as will be seen the printing screen 48 rests on the cloth 40 to be printed. The cloth to be printed is supported by the parts 30 of the plates 28 and in this way the printing screen is in close contact with the cloth to be printed. Then printing material is forced through the open part or parts of the as to be applied as a design on the cloth. 3 1 i From the foregoing it will'be readily appreciated that it is possible to more economically and eificiently print cloth than has been possible heretofore. The same is accomplished by means of novel apparatus shown and described and what it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

An apparatus for printing cloth comprising in combination, a pair of spaced-apart endless chains movable in horizontal planes and including a plurality of pivoted-together links, each of said links having a plate portion provided with an outwardly-extending horizontal part and an inwardly-extending upwardly-inclining part, supporting means disposed outwardly of said hori-. zontal part, a screen member including a frame and a screen disposed between said chains with,

said frame supported by said supporting means, the latter being so arranged that portions of the screen overlie and are disposed closely'adjaand the points on the said inclining faces from which the pinsproje'ct whereby} there isno-en gagement by the pins with the screen.

JOHN H; w n g. 

